Poll

Who is going to Lubin House this year?

Alternately, for those who live far away, how do you plan on getting there?

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Trying to decide if taking two days off from work for nothing but travel and a brief meet-and-greet is worth it. My car also might break down.

Drinking Wine, Watching The Lion King, and Painting

What a life.

I really enjoy the "I Just Can't Wait to be King" scene from the Lion King. It really reminds me of an older version of the opening scene from Kung Fu Panda, the dream fantasy scene. Both were focused on vibrant colors and intense patterns, across epic landscapes. They don't necessarily get hung up on depicting what's "real", choosing instead to show what's interesting. Focusing entirely on the inner desires of the main characters. Reminds me of the old saying; "don't spoil a good story with the truth."

Don't get me wrong, I love the old hand-drawn cartoon style, and I love the new hyper-realistic computer animation. But can't mainstream movies sometimes just... go crazy? Experiment with colors, shapes, try new ways to animate the same old things! I'm not saying I want an acid trip for the next family-friendly kids film [ok, maybe once in a while ;)], but try something new, and people will respond favorably.

Don't know what I'm talking about? Check out the videos on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGIoRUlzE2Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxLeh_HSEDY&feature=related

Edit: Jennifer Yuh Nelson, who directed just that opening scene of the first movie, is said to be the director of the entire Kung Fu Panda sequel, slated to be released in 2011. Score a win for good ideas!

My Favorite Artist of the Minute

Steve Epting!!

Steve is a comic book penciller. It's sometimes hard picking out a favorite penciller, when the inks and colors are so eye-catching and distracting, but the best inks/colors will be useless overtop of crap pencils.

You can't deny these excellent pages have a rock-solid pencil base. And a good team overtop of that!

Behance

This Old Painting

I tried my best to make this look like Casey, but in the end, even Photoshop does not leave me satisfied. Maybe next time.

Liz, You're Next!

Typography Lesson

For all us poor Illustrators who never had those typography lessons, yet are forced to bumble through using it anyway. A basic start guide:

A Dummy's Guide to Typography